For economic reasons, automobile manufacture has become increasingly modularized and subdivided among various original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket parts suppliers. Accordingly, OEM electrical appliances within an automobile may originate from different sources. As a result, extensive efforts have been made to standardize electrical connections within the vehicle to accommodate multiple suppliers. Additionally, aftermarket appliances are increasingly made available directly to consumers. Often, installation of the aftermarket appliances requires that any electrical connection to the vehicle be made after first removing an existing component and then substituting the aftermarket appliance in its place.
For example, aftermarket vehicle console units are being made available to automobile purchasers that include various electronic and/or entertainment devices, such as sound and audio-visual entertainment systems. To replace an original equipment center console unit with an aftermarket one, the original unit first must be physically disconnected from the automobile before removal therefrom. Second, the original unit must be electrically disconnected from the vehicle before removal and before installation of the new aftermarket unit. Finally, once the new console is installed, it is not readily removable.
In existing automotive electrical system designs, disconnection of an existing appliance requires actual disconnection of wiring from the appliance, generally using a standardized plug and socket arrangement. Plug and socket connections are advantageous because they eliminate bare or open contact leads that may lead to inadvertent shorting of the automotive electrical system. However, modification of plug and socket connections once an automobile leaves a factory is extremely difficult. Also, exposed portions of plug and socket connections are always electrically charged. And plug and socket electrical connections are not conducive to repeated disconnection and removal of installed appliances, for example, as a method to prevent theft.
Additionally, often the location of an existing plug is incompatible with or remote from the socket on aftermarket appliances, or else the wire lead length is insufficient to easily interconnect to the new device. Moreover, in existing electrical system designs, electrically connecting a new device requires manually locating and physically reconnecting the socket and plug, either before or after physical installation of the new device, thereby adding to installation time and effort. Finally, in those systems where an existing appliance is not replaced, but is instead simply added, extensive time and effort are required to install the new unit, either because additional wiring must be added or because new electrical connections must be made to interface the new appliance with the automobile electrical system.
Accordingly, an easily connectable and disconnectable electrical connection is needed to provide simple and safe connection and disconnection of electrical appliances to an automobile electrical system without threatening the integrity of the electrical system.